Current vs. new treatment

Newborns with HIE are traditionally treated with “cooling”, a method that induces hypothermia. However, a substantial percentage (>30%) either do not survive or have significant impairment. In studies performed in neonatal rodents, the post-injury infusion of human umbilical cord blood has been shown to improve neurobehavioral outcome, reduce inflammation, and aid in the formation of new blood vessels.

More to come

Further studies will be conducted, but the initial results are promising and demonstrate that umbilical cord blood infusions are safe for infants affected with HIE. HIE may be one more debilitating condition that can be safely treated through the use of umbilical cord blood cells.